Morris chair.



' Patented lune |I, |90I. W. H. JACKSON.

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(Application led Hm'. 25, 1901.)

(No Model.)

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UNTTE STATES PATENT Fries..

VIIJLIAM II. JACKSON, OF WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT.

MORRIS' CHAIR.

SPEGIFICATIGN forming part of Letters Patent N o. 676,256, dated June 11, 1901.

Application led March Z5, 1901. Serial No. 52.741. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, it may concern.-

Beit known that I, WILLIAM H. JACKSON, of Waterbury, in the county ofNew Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improvement inMorris Chairs; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings and the characters ofreference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe same, and which said drawings constitute partpf this specication,and represent, in-

Figure 1, a view in side elevation of a chair provided with myinvention; Fig. 2, an enlarged broken view, in side elevation, showingmy improved mechanism applied to the back and arm of the chair; Fig. 3,a plan view of the mechanism, the arm of the chair being shown by brokenlines. Fig. 4 is a View in vertical section on the line a Z9 of Fig. 2through the arm of the chair and the sliding bar of the mechanism.

Myinvention relates to an improvement in Morris chairs, the object beingto provide simple, durable, and convenient means for adjusting theinclination of the backs of such chairs.

With these ends in view my invention consists in certain details ofconstruction and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafterdescribed, and pointed out in the claims.

As the mechanismis duplicated on both sides of the chair, it will besufficient to describe it for one side only. It consists, as

herein shown, of a link 2, formed at its rear end with a hook 3, adaptedto be hooked over a pin 4, projecting laterally from the chairback 5,the lower end of which is hinged to the chair-body 6 in any suitablemanner. By connecting the rear end of the link 2 to the chair-back 5 inthe manner described I am able to disconnect the link from thechairback, so that the same may be folded for-y said link 2 is pivotallyconnected with the rear end of a slide '7, arranged to move back andforth in two strap-like brackets 8, se-

cured to the lower face of the said arm 9. To the forward end of theslide 7I attach a swinging rack 10 by means of a vertical pivot 11, sothat the rack swings in a horizontal plane. Upon its outer edge thisrack isformed with several teeth 12, having square rear edges andbeveled forward edges. The nu mberof these teeth may be'varied asrequired. They are engaged with a supporting-pin 13, depending from thearm 9 and carrying an antifrictionroller 14. A coiled spring 15,attached at its rear end to the outer edge of the slide 7 and at itsforward end to the rack 10, exerts aconstanteffort to swing the sameoutward, so as to engage its teeth 12 with the roller on the pin13,which,with its roller,constitutes a fixed point on the body of thechair for coaction with the rack in supporting the chair-back in anydesired inclination. The extreme forward end of the rack 10 is providedwith a depending operating-handle or grip 1G, designed to be grasped foroperation from the inside of the arm 9 of the chair.

It will be readily understood from the foregoing that when thechair-back 5 is lifted its motion will be communicated by the link 2 tothe slide '7, which will be slid forward in the brackets 8, whereby theengagement of the beveled edge of the rack lying immediately to the rearat this time of the pin 13, with the antifriction-roller 14 surroundingthe said pin, will cause the said rack to be swung inward and disengagedfrom the pin. As soon as the forward movement of the slide 7 is stoppedthe spring 15 will operate to swing the pivotal rack 10 outward andrengageit with the pin 13, whereby the chair-back 5 will be supported inthe position into which it was brought by lifting it. To lower thechairback, the handle 16 of the pivotal rack 101s grasped and the rackswung inward against lthe tension of the spring. The chair-back is nowfree to swing back either under pressure or by gravity. When it is swungback far enough, the handle 16 of the rack is released, whereby the rackat once rengages with the roller 14 of the supporting-pin 13.- `Inpractical use, of course, the user of the chair will operate both racksat the same time for releasing them, thus letting the chair-back down.On the other hand, the chair-back may be very easily raised and broughtinto ICO the required position by the user without getting out of thechair.

It is apparent that in carrying out my invention some changes fromtheconstruction herein shown and described may be made,

and I wish to have it understood that I do not limit myself to thatconstruction,but hold myself at liberty to make such changes therethesaid slide and adapted to be engaged in different relations with a fixedpoint on the body of the chair.

2. .In a Morris chair, the combination with the body and hinged backthereof, of a link connected at its rear end to the chair-back, a slidesupported by the arm of the chair and pivotally connected at its rearend to the forward end of the said link, a rack pivotally attached tothe forward end of the said slide and swingingin ahorizontal plane,andmeans on the arm of the chair for being engaged by the said rack,whereby the said chair back isl supported.

3. An adjusting mechanism for the backs of Morris chairs, comprising alink adapted at its rear end to be detachably connected. with the backof the chair, a slide having its rear end connected with the forward endofy the said-link, and a rack pivotally attached to the forward end ofthe said slide so as to swing in a horizontal plane, and formed upon itsouter edge with a series of teeth adapted to be engaged with a fixedpoint upon the body of the chair for supporting the chairback.

4. In 4a Morris chair, the combination with the body and hinged backthereof, of a link connected at its rear end to the chair-back, a slidesupported by the body of the chair and pivotally connected at its rearend to the forward end of the said link, a rack pivotally connected withthe forward end of the slide so as to swing in a horizontal plane, meansupon the body of the chair for being engaged by the said rack, and aspring coacting with the said rack to swing it outward for engagementwith the said means.

5. In a Morris chair,.the combination with the body thereof, the saidbody being provided with arms, of a back hinged to the said body, a linkconnected at its rear end to the said back, a slide suspended underneathan arm of the chair-body so as to` slide back and forth under the saidarm and connecteduat its rear end to the forward end of the said link, ahorizontallyswinging rack pivotally connected with the forward end ofthe said slide, and provided with a handle, and means depending from thesaid arm for engagement by the said rack.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

' VILLIAM I-I. JACKSON.

Witnesses:

FRED. C. EARLE, LILLIAN D. KELsEY.

